The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says there is no longer any hiding place for drug traffickers in Nigeria or abroad, as it intensifies operations against international cartels by targeting their financial networks, assets, bank accounts and other proceeds of illicit drug trafficking.
The Director of Media and Advocacy and spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, stated this on Thursday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, saying the agency had moved beyond the traditional approach of arresting traffickers and seizing drugs to dismantling the structures sustaining the illicit trade.
Babafemi said the agency works with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and Border Force, as well as counterparts in Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland and other countries. He added that the NDLEA’s international partnerships had also expanded considerably, making it possible to track traffickers who flee Nigeria.
“The world is global now and the NDLEA is not just the NDLEA of Nigeria alone, now we have great networks with our counterparts across the world, whether you talk of drug enforcement administration in the US, or you talk of national crime agency in the UK, border force in the UK, or you talk of our counterparts in Ghana, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, all oven,…Wherever they think they are hiding, there have been very ample examples, evidences, of our joint operations with our counterparts in recent times, to show that wherever they think they are hiding, our hand will definitely reach them. So that’s why the chairman of the agency, Gen Marwa, keeps saying that there is no more hiding place for them, whether in Nigeria or outside of Nigeria.”
Babafemi said the agency is “dealing deadly blows to the cartels” by going after financiers, enablers and barons, while also blocking the routes through which illicit substances enter and circulate in the country.
“The agency is dealing very deadly blows to the cartels. As you can see, it’s not just about going after the moose, the traffickers or mopping up those things on the streets, we’re going to the roots, blocking the pipelines and then going after the financiers, the enablers, the barons, the cartels, and dismantling all of them.”
The spokesman said the agency now goes after the assets acquired through drug trafficking, including mansions, luxury vehicles and bank accounts, with the aim of ensuring that traffickers do not continue to enjoy proceeds from their criminal activities.
“What we do is beyond sentencing, arresting them, and sending these people to jail, we also go after all that they have acquired through this criminal trade, and ensure that they and their family have nothing left to enjoy.”
According to him, the agency follows the legal process to ensure that such properties are forfeited to the Federal Government. He cited the arrest of Nigerian drug baron Amadi Simon, who, according to him, had been hiding in Switzerland following a two-year investigation involving the US DEA and counterparts in Switzerland, France and Greece.
Babafemi said while Simon was arrested in Switzerland, two female accomplices were arrested in Anambra and Delta States, while three hotels linked to the network had been taken over and their bank accounts frozen.
“We had around May, the arrest of a billionaire drug baron, Amadi Simon, who was a Nigerian and was hibernating in Switzerland, and that investigation took about two years for us, while we work with the U.S. DEA, and as well as our counterparts in Switzerland, France, and Greece, about four-nation, and eventually we were able to get him. Simultaneously, just as our counterparts were taking him down in Switzerland, his female accomplices in Nigeria here, one in Anambra state and the other in Delta state were taken down and then we’ve gone after all of their assets, we’ve taken about three hotels from them so far, with all their bank accounts already frozen,” he disclosed.
The spokesman also stated that the agency had recently dismantled a cartel operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor, describing the route as one that had for years fed the opioid abuse crisis among Nigerian youths.
“We’ve also seen one of the great exploits by the agency recently, dismantling a cartel operating through the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor, which is called a route that has for years fed the crisis of opioid abuse among our youth”
He said almost two million pieces of tramadol were seized in July, with those arrested subsequently convicted and sentenced, while the trucks and long trailers used to bring the drugs into Nigeria were forfeited to the Federal Government.
“Just in July, that’s about less than two months ago, that pipeline was also shut down with the seizure of almost two million pieces of tramadol, as well as the arrest of the elements involved and the brand-new long trailers that were used to bring them in all of them were forfeited to the federal government,” he added.
Babafemi said the agency’s strategy was also yielding results in its fight against drug abuse. He disclosed that since the coming of NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), in January 2021, 91,148 offenders had been arrested, including 243 drug dealers, while about 16 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances had been seized.
“When General Marwa came on board and took the leadership of the NDLEA on January 18, 2021, he didn’t waste time studying the situation because he was ready with information and a blueprint on what to do, between then and now, precisely 91,148 offenders have been arrested and as of this year, 91,148 offenders, including 243 drug dealers have been arrested with 16 million kilograms of assorted illicit substances seized, and then more than precisely 16,469,000 offenders convicted and sentenced to jail,” he revealed.
He also said more than 2,075 hectares of cannabis plantations had been destroyed over the period.
“And I’ll tell you that more than 2,075 hectares, not acres, of cannabis plantations have been destroyed these past years,” he added.
Babafemi maintained that the results of the agency’s operations showed that Nigeria was making progress in the fight against illicit drugs.
“Definitely we’re winning, we may not have been where we want to be but then we’re definitely getting to where we hope to be,” he said.
NDLEA Opens Toll-Free Helpline for Drug Abuse Support
Babafemi during the interview also announced that the NDLEA was combining enforcement with treatment and rehabilitation, stressing that the drug problem should not be viewed solely as a criminal justice issue.
He said the agency currently has 31 rehabilitation centres across the country, including one in Ogun State, and is working to add another six or seven centres.
“We have 31 rehabilitation centres, including in Ogun State and we are in the process of adding additional six or seven also to that. We do provide support for those who are struggling with substance abuse because we do know most of these things are out of control for a number of these people”
He said the agency also operates a Drug Abuse Call Centre where people struggling with substance abuse can access counsellors, clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatric doctors.
“They work 24-7. Every day of the week, they are there. Morning, afternoon, evening, night. Even in the middle of the night, early in the morning, they are there. They will provide them teletherapy and psychosocial support services right online”
He gave the toll-free helpline as 0800-1020-3040, urging people who need help or want to provide information about drug-related activities to use the number.
“All anybody needs to do is, from the comfort of their home, from any part of the country, call our toll-free helpline, which is 0800-1020-3040.”
He said callers who fear stigmatisation or do not want to visit a physical rehabilitation centre could receive teletherapy and psychosocial support through the platform.
According to him, people assessed by experts as requiring physical treatment would be directed to the nearest appropriate facility, whether public, private or tertiary. He added that the service was available in English, Pidgin English, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo.
“Another important thing about this call center is the fact that apart from Pidgin English and English language, for those who are in rural communities who may not be able to communicate in any of these, as long as they can speak any of the three major Nigerian languages of Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, they will definitely be attended to through this platform.”
Babafemi said the agency had treated and rehabilitated more than 53,000 people through its rehabilitation centres. He said NDLEA had protocols for determining whether an arrested person should face prosecution or be referred for counselling and treatment.
“It’s not everybody we arrest. For instance, we have an ongoing operation across the country that has led to the destruction and the dismantling of hundreds of drug jails across the country,” he said.
The NDLEA spokesman also stated that people arrested during raids were profiled to determine those who should be prosecuted and those who needed treatment.
“In our own assessment, we have protocols to determine who needs treatment and who needs to be prosecuted, and quite a number of instances we have had to separate them, receive them, separate those that will have to face the consequences of their action, and then those that will have to be provided support and counseling and treatment. So that’s exactly how we operate.”
NDLEA Seeks End To Fine Option For Convicted Drug Offenders
Babafemi also disclosed that the NDLEA was pushing for the removal of the option of fine for convicted drug offenders, arguing that the existing provision could undermine deterrence.
He said the agency was working with the Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, to amend its enabling law, with the proposed amendment expected to be forwarded to the National Assembly.
“We are trying to resolve that option of the fine and that is being sorted out in the amendment of the Agencies Act so as to remove that option of fine.”
“When somebody is taken to court to face consequences, when the person is prosecuted and convicted, the person should be able to go to prison to serve the sentence rather than being given an option of fine,” he said.
According to the NDLEA Spokesman, some convicted drug offenders could simply pay fines and return to the streets because they had the financial capacity to do so.
“When you give the option of fine, you see a number of them just pay this money from their pockets and there is no deterrence.”
Babafemi said there were several reasons why a person arrested by the agency could later be seen back in the community. He explained that some suspects were released for counselling and treatment, while courts also had the discretion to grant bail. He added that courts could equally impose fines after conviction under existing provisions.
He maintained, however, that the NDLEA had strict Standard Operating Procedures which all its commands were required to follow.
“We have very strict SOP that are followed by our commands, and nobody dares go out of that because there are heavy consequences for so much.”
NDLEA Rejects Calls for Cannabis Legalisation
The NDLEA has also rejected calls for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal, commercial and tax-revenue purposes, insisting that cannabis remains a major public health and security concern in Nigeria.
Babafemi was responding to arguments by African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who had criticised the destruction of cannabis farms in Edo State and advocated regulation of cannabis cultivation. Babafemi said he had previously engaged Sowore on the issue but questioned the argument for allowing wider consumption of cannabis.
‘Sowore is my friend. I’ve had an engagement with him on this in the past and I’m glad he did tell me that he doesn’t smoke. And then I ask how do you advocate for others to consume what you yourself know is dangerous and you can’t take? That is one.”
He further said the NDLEA had commissioned the Nigerian Academy of Science to examine the issue and that the findings informed the agency’s position.
“Two, and I remember I did say this in the course of this conversation again, that we have had to engage the Nigerian Academy of Science on this particular thing and going by the fact that cannabis remains the most commonly abused illicit substance in Nigeria today with its implications or consequences on public health and security challenges,”
Babafemi said cannabis was the most commonly abused illicit substance in Nigeria, citing the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, which found that 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15 to 64 had used illicit substances other than alcohol and tobacco. He said 10.3 million of those users had abused cannabis.
Babafemi said the agency’s position was based on the health implications associated with cannabis use and the changing nature of cannabis products available in Nigeria.
He also distinguished between cannabis products containing high levels of THC and low-THC products used for industrial or other controlled purposes.
“What is being destroyed is different from what brings the economy benefits. Cannabis oil is not the same as, we are talking of 40% THC in what we consume here.”
“It is different from 0.3% of the cannabinoid thing. There are two different things, and they are not even grown the same way.”
He referred to products such as Canadian loud, Scottish loud, Thai loud and Colorado, known locally as “Colos”, saying some were produced or mixed with chemicals.
“They mix these things up and then mislead their followers”
NDLEA Links Drug Abuse to Nigeria’s Security Challenges
Babafemi also linked the illicit drug trade to Nigeria’s security challenges, saying the agency’s position was based on evidence and should not be trivialised for political reasons.
“This is evidence-based position. We know that there is a strong nexus between the problem of drug abuse and the security challenges the nation is grappling with today. So, nobody should come play in the name of politics or political argument, trying to make it trivialized.”
The NDLEA Spokesman cited the seizure of Captagon at the Lagos airport as an example of the emerging drug trafficking threats confronting the country.
According to him, the first seizure of Captagon in Nigeria occurred in 2021, while another consignment was intercepted at the Lagos airport about a week before the interview.
“Just about a week ago at the airport in Lagos, we intercepted a consignment of captagon. The first time captagon was seized in Nigeria was sometime in 2021, and that drug was concealed in machines. That was the first time in the history of this country we had a seizure of captagon”
Babafemi said a Captagon pill could sell for as much as $25
and alleged that the drug was associated with networks that use proceeds from drug trafficking to finance arms and ammunition. He said the drug could also cause prolonged wakefulness and violent behaviour.
“A very tiny pill of captagon costs as high as $25. So, what they do is to produce this, send it, move it around to raise money that will be used to buy arms and ammunition. And apart from raising funds for them to be able to buy arms and ammunition, even when they consume it, it’s also so dangerous because it’s a kind of ATS that somebody can take and you’ll be restless, sleepless, without being hungry for 3, 4, 5 days and with propensity for violence.”
The NDLEA spokesman urged parents and community leaders to remain vigilant, saying the fight against drug abuse must begin from the home. He urged parents to pay attention to changes in their
children’s behavior, friendships, eating habits, sleeping patterns and belongings, and encouraged them to use drug test kits where necessary.
“Don’t say it’s government alone. No, it starts from the home front. Please, parents, pay attention to the changing patterns in the lives of your kids, what they eat, what time they go to bed, the things in their backpack, the kind of friend they move with and above all, if you suspect anything, the agency has test kits in all our commerce across the country,” he said.
